The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Muir satisfied with her form after missing out on world record.
ATHLETICS: Scot determined to ‘push on’ after falling short in world-record bid
Dundee Hawkhill Harrier Laura Muir is more than satisfied with her form after a disrupted winter despite falling short in her world-record bid at the Muller Indoor Grand Prix.
The Milnathort stated on Friday she was “pretty confident” of breaking the 1,000-metre record of two minutes, 30.94 seconds but she and her pacemaker slipped off target less than halfway round and she came home in 2:33.47.
Muir, who was chasing Maria Mutola’s 21-year-old world best, has been outshone by training partner Jemma Reekie this year – her fellow Scot added to her growing reputation with an impressive win in the 1,500m at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow on Saturday.
But the 26-year-old feels there is plenty more to come from her after overcoming injury problems.
Muir returned from a torn calf to finish fifth in a very fast 1,500m final at the World Championships in October but complications from the injury affected her pre-season.
“It was a solid run,” she said after finishing four seconds ahead of the field on Saturday.
“Considering the amount of training I have missed through the winter, I think it’s a really good place to be and I can build on that and get stronger and faster throughout the year.
“I have never had such a disrupted winter. Off of tearing my calf, there was quite a lot of atrophy in the muscle, and that meant my Achilles was taking the brunt of the force I was putting through that.
“My Achilles reacted to the extent that I had to cross-train for a couple of weeks in the pool, and then I started to run every second day. I was out of spikes for all of December and half of November. So it was only really the start of the year that I actually started to wear trainers.
“Even in the second week of January I was still in trainers, so I have only been in spikes for about five or six weeks.
“So to run that off the build-up I have had is really, really good and I can push on from there.”
Muir’s personal best and UK record for 1,000m stands at 2:31.93 when the Muller Grand Prix was held at Birmingham in 2017.
She added: “I love competing here. For it to be a sold-out crowd is fantastic and having lots of friends and family here.”
After breaking three British indoor records this month, Reekie produced another impressive run to overtake former World indoor silver-medallist Dawit Seyaum on the home straight despite fearing she was boxed in at one stage.
The 21-year-old said: “I did think this could be a great race and I could win it, and I think that’s the difference – I am not just coming to line up on the track any more, I am coming in to win.”
The supporting cast was led home by GB’S Adele Tracey, whose time of 2:37.95 saw her go fourth on the UK all-time ranking list.
Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis caused the biggest stir when he broke the pole vault world record for the second time in a week to set a new mark of 6.18m.
The 20-year-old from Sweden praised the Glasgow crowd for their support in reaching new heights.
“This was such a great competition. There was such great energy the crowd was giving me and I really thrive off that,” said Duplantis.
GB’S Jessie Knight shocked a strong field to claim victory in the 400m, while there was another British success in the 60m hurdles as Andrew Pozzi secured his fifth win out of five races this year.
Two-time Olympic champion Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce powered her way to victory in the women’s 60m sprint in 7.16. World U18 200m world record-holder Amy Hunt (GB) was fourth in 7.36.
Britain’s CJ Ujah was fourth in the men’s 60m, won by American Ronnie Baker in a stadium record 6.50.
World indoor gold medallist Adam Kszczot (Poland) took the men’s 800m in 1:46.34, with Scot Guy Learmonth third in a season’s best 1:47.16, while Edinburgh 1,500m athlete Josh Kerr opened his indoor season with a fourthplaced finish and a personal best 1:47.40.